Devices and headsets

ABSTRACT

A device has a content processing component operable in first and second content processing states, a display, at least one sensor operable to output sensor data indicative of at least one eye positional characteristic of a user, and a processor. The processor is configured to process the data, and in the first processing state, determine a region of the display corresponding to a foveal region of an eye of a user, and perform foveated processing of content to be displayed on the display such that a relatively high-quality video content is generated for display in the region and a relatively low-quality video content is generated for display outside the region. The second processing state is entered in response to a trigger. In the second processing state, the foveated processing used is overridden such that relatively low-quality video content is generated for display in at least a portion of the region.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to devices and headsets.

Description of the Related Technology

Devices are becoming more complex to meet growing user expectations. Inparticular, content processing components of such devices, such asgraphics processing units, are becoming more complicated. Althoughincreased complexity of such components can enhance user experience byproviding increased content processing capabilities, it can alsoincrease power consumption levels of such components and devices. Thereis also an ever-increasing demand for devices to be as small and lightas possible. Increased power consumption levels in a smaller device canlead to thermal management issues, and increased power consumptionlevels may lead to quicker run down of battery levels in a batterypowered device.

SUMMARY

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provideda device comprising: a content processing component operable in firstand second content processing states; a display for displaying an imagebased on an output of the content processing component; at least onesensor operable to output sensor data indicative of at least one eyepositional characteristic of a user of the device, the at least one eyepositional characteristic being indicative of a region of the displaydetermined to correspond to a foveal region of an eye of the user; and aprocessor configured to: process the sensor data; in the first contentprocessing state of the content processing component: determine, on thebasis of the processed sensor data, a region of the displaycorresponding to the foveal region, perform foveated processing ofcontent to be displayed on the display, such that a relativelyhigh-quality video content is generated for display in the determinedregion and relatively low-quality video content is generated for displayoutside the determined region; and identify, on the basis of theprocessed sensor data, a trigger for entering the second contentprocessing state of the content processing component; and in the secondcontent processing state of the content processing component, over-ridethe foveated processing used in the first content processing state suchthat relatively low-quality video content is generated for display in atleast a portion of the determined region.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure there is provideda method of operating a device according to the first aspect of thepresent disclosure, the method comprising processing the sensor data,and based on the processed sensor data operating the content processingcomponent in one of the first and second content processing states.

According to a third aspect of the present disclosure there is provideda data carrier comprising machine readable instructions for theoperation of one or more processors of a device according to the firstaspect of the present disclosure to process the sensor data; and basedon the processed sensor data, operate the content processing componentin one of the first and second content processing states.

According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure there is provideda device comprising: a content processing component operable in aplurality of content processing states; a display for displaying animage based on an output of the content processing component; a sensoroperable to output sensor data indicative of a speed of motion of an eyeof a user of the device relative to the display; and a processorconfigured to: process the sensor data; compare the processed sensordata to a threshold; and where the processed sensor data differs fromthe threshold, alter a content processing state of the contentprocessing component.

According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure there is provideda device comprising: a display for displaying an; a sensor operable tooutput sensor data indicative of a direction of a foveal region of aneye of a user of the device relative to the display; and a processorconfigured to: process the sensor data; utilise the processed sensordata to determine whether an object shown on the display is a subject offocus of the user; and where the object is determined to be a subject offocus of the user, displaying the object on the display using a firstquality video content whilst displaying the remainder of the display ata second quality video content lower than the first quality videocontent.

Further features will become apparent from the following description,given by way of example only, which is made with reference to theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a device according to an example;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view illustrating a foveal region of a single eyerelative to a display;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view illustrating a first method of operating adevice according to an example;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view illustrating a second method of operating adevice according to an example;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view illustrating a third method of operating adevice according to an example;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view illustrating a fourth method of operating adevice according to an example;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view illustrating a fifth method of operating adevice according to an example;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view illustrating a sixth method of operating adevice according to an example;

FIG. 9 is a schematic view illustrating a seventh method of operating adevice according to an example.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN INVENTIVE EMBODIMENTS

Details of systems and methods according to examples will becomeapparent from the following description, with reference to the Figures.In this description, for the purpose of explanation, numerous specificdetails of certain examples are set forth. Reference in thespecification to “an example” or similar language means that aparticular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connectionwith the example is included in at least that one example, but notnecessarily in other examples. It should further be noted that certainexamples are described schematically with certain features omittedand/or necessarily simplified for ease of explanation and understandingof the concepts underlying the examples.

In examples herein, devices have a content processing component which isoperable in a first content processing state to determine, on the basisof processed sensor data indicative of at least one eye positionalcharacteristic of a user of the device, a region of a display of thedevice corresponding to the foveal region, and perform foveatedprocessing of content to be displayed on the display, such that arelatively high-quality video content is generated for display in thedetermined region and relatively low-quality video content is generatedfor display outside the determined region. A foveal region of a humaneye has high visual acuity and supports good colour vision, but is notsensitive to dim light. In contrast, the peripheral region has muchlower visual acuity, is sensitive to dim light, and is not coloursensitive. Foveated processing of content to be displayed on thedisplay, such that a relatively high-quality video content is generatedfor display in a region of the display determined to correspond to thefoveal region of the eye of the user, and relatively low-quality videocontent is generated for display outside the determined region, mayreduce a graphics computing requirement on the content processingcomponent, for example a rasterization or ray-tracing computingrequirement, by varying the visual quality across the display. This mayreduce power consumption of components of the device, and, for example,may provide the device with lower thermal management requirements and/orincreased usage time per charge of a battery operated device.

In examples herein, the content processing component of a device isoperable in a second content processing state, in response to a trigger,to over-ride the foveated processing used in the first contentprocessing state such that relatively low-quality video content isgenerated for display in at least a portion of the region of the displayof the device corresponding to the foveal region of the eye of the user.Thus the quality of video content generated for display in at least aportion of the determined region may be reduced in response to thetrigger. This may reduce a graphics computing requirement on the contentprocessing component by varying the visual quality across the displaywhere it is determined that high-quality video content is not requiredin at least a portion of the determined region.

In examples herein, the sensor data may be processed to determine aspeed of motion of an eye of the user, and the trigger may comprise adetermination that the speed of motion is above a pre-determinedthreshold. Where an object is sufficiently large that not all of theobject falls within the foveal region of an eye of a user, the user mustconstantly shift the position of the eye to bring different portions ofthe object into the foveal region of the eye. The movements of the eyein this manner are known as saccades or saccadic eye movements.Typically several saccades are made each second, and no useful visualinformation can be taken in whilst saccadic motion occurs. By enteringthe second content processing state in response to speed of motion of aneye being above a pre-determined threshold, for example in response tosaccadic motion of the eye being detected, relatively low-quality videocontent may be generated for display in at least a portion of the regionof the display of the device corresponding to the foveal region of theeye of the user when it is determined that no useful visual informationcan be taken in by a user. This may reduce a graphics computingrequirement on the content processing component by varying the visualquality across the display where it is determined that high-qualityvideo content is not required in at least a portion of the determinedregion. In examples herein, the sensor data is processed to determinesaccadic motion of an eye of the user, and where saccadic motion isdetermined, the content processing component operates in the secondcontent processing state.

In examples herein, the trigger may comprise a determination ofsimultaneous movement of two eyes of a user in opposing directions. Tomaintain binocular vision when focusing on different objects, the eyesof a human being simultaneously move in opposing directions. Such amovement is referred to as vergence. In some examples, the secondcontent processing state is entered when vergence is detected, which mayreduce a graphics computing requirement on the content processingcomponent by varying the visual quality across the display. In someexamples, the sensor data is indicative of at least one eye positionalcharacteristic of two eyes of a user of the device.

In examples herein, the sensor data may be processed to determine if anobject displayed on the display is a subject of focus of the user, andthe trigger comprises a determination that the object is a subject offocus. In human vision, the eyes typically scan around the outline of anobject. If a user is looking at an edge of an object, then it is oftenthe case that background objects which are not in focus are within thefoveal regions of the eyes of the user. In such circumstances, thebackground objects may not need to be displayed with a high-qualityvideo content as they are not the subject of focus. Thus the secondcontent processing state may be entered when an object is determined tobe a subject of focus, and lower-quality video content may be used inthe region of the display other than that corresponding to the object.This may reduce a graphics computing requirement on the contentprocessing component by varying the visual quality across the display.

An example of a device 10 is shown schematically in FIG. 1.

The device 10 may be or may be comprised in a wearable device, forexample in the form of a headset. A headset may comprise a head-mounteddisplay (HMD) worn on the head of a user. A HMD typically has one ormore display screens, with each display screen corresponding to one orboth eyes of the user. The headset may comprise an augmented reality(AR) headset. An AR headset may comprise an opaque display, for examplewhere an image of a surrounding environment is captured by a camera, andvirtual objects are generated and combined appropriately with thecaptured image. An AR headset may comprise a transparent display throughwhich a user can see their surrounding environment, with virtual objectsbeing displayed on the display. The headset may comprise a virtualreality (VR) headset, which generates virtual reality content to bedisplayed on the display screen(s).

In the example schematically shown in FIG. 1, the device 10 comprises asensor 12, a processor 14, a content processing component 16, and adisplay 18. The sensor 12 is communicatively coupled to the processor 14via a first communication channel, which may use an industry-standardcommunication technology. The content processing component 16 iscommunicatively coupled to the processor 14 via a second communicationchannel, and is communicatively coupled to the display 18 via a thirdcommunication channel. Although shown in FIG. 1 as comprising only oneof each of the sensor 12, the processor 14, the content processingcomponent 16 and the display 18, it will be appreciated that the device10 may comprise more than one of each of the aforementioned components.The device 10 may also comprise further components not depicted in FIG.1, including, for example, at least one memory, at least one userinterface, and at least one power source.

The sensor 12 is operable to output sensor data indicative of at leastone eye positional characteristic of a user of the device 10. Forexample, the sensor 12 may be operable to output sensor data that isindicative of one or more of a rotational position of an eye, adirection of a foveal region of the user relative to the display 18, anda direction of a pupil of the user relative to the display 18. In someexamples, the sensor 12 may comprise an eye tracking sensor. An eyetracking sensor may comprise an optical eye tracking sensor which isable to track the motion of one or more eyes of a user by detectinglight reflected from the eye of the user with a video camera or othersensor. Eye tracking sensors may indicate current eye positionalcharacteristics, and may provide accurate eye location information

Alternatively, an eye tracking sensor may comprise an electricalpotential eye tracking sensor which utilizes electrical potentialsmeasured within one or more electrodes placed around the eye of a user.For example, the eye tracking sensor may utilize electroencephalography(EEG), electromyography (EMG), or electrooculography (EOG) signaldetection to track motion of the eye of a user. Electrical potential eyetracking sensors may provide an indication of movement before movementactually begins, and hence may provide low latency. Use of an electricalpotential eye tracking sensor may therefor enable a content processingstate of the content processing component 16 to be altered sooner thanwould be the case with an optical eye tracking sensor alone. This mayallow for finer control of content processing states of the contentprocessing component 16.

In some example, the eye tracking sensor may comprise an optical eyetracking sensor and an electrical potential eye tracking sensor. Thismay provide both lower latency and high location accuracy.

The at least one eye positional characteristic may be indicative of aregion of the display 18 determined to correspond to a foveal region ofan eye of the user. For example, where the eye positional characteristicis the rotational position of the eye or the direction of a pupilrelative to the display 18, it is possible to determine which portion ofthe display 18 the eye is looking at, and a sub-portion can then beallocated as corresponding to the foveal region of the eye. This isshown schematically in FIG. 2 for a single eye, and it will beappreciated that the concept can be extended for two eyes in a similarmanner.

In FIG. 2, an eye 20 is rotated at approximately 45° relative to adisplay 22 and has a field of view 24, indicated by the hashedcross-sectional area. A nominal sub-set of the field of view 24 can betaken to correspond to the foveal region 26 of the eye 20, with thefoveal region 26 indicated in FIG. 2 by dotted shading. Typically, thefoveal region of an eye of a user is around 2° of the field of view of auser, and so the nominal sub-set can be set accordingly. It will ofcourse be appreciated that the size of the foveal region will vary fromuser to user, and the device may be calibrated to account for suchvariation. A determined region 28 of the display 12 may then be taken tocorrespond to the foveal region 26 of the eye 20, with the determinedregion 28 indicated by horizontal stripes. It will be appreciated thatthe size of the foveal region 26 in FIG. 2 may have been exaggerated forclarity.

Referring back to the device 10 of FIG. 1, the processor 14 is able toprocess the data output by the sensor 12, and the content processingcomponent 16 is operable in first and second content processing states.In the first content processing state, the processed sensor data may beused determine a region of the display 18 corresponding to the fovealregion of an eye of a user of the device 10. Where the contentprocessing component 16 operates in the first content processing state,foveated processing of content to be displayed on the display 18 may beperformed. In particular, content may be processed such that such that arelatively high-quality video content is generated for display in thedetermined region and relatively low-quality video content is generatedfor display outside the determined region. Thus relatively high-qualityvideo content may be generated for display where it is needed, forexample at a region of the display 18 corresponding to a foveal regionof an eye of a user, whilst relatively low-quality video content may begenerated for display elsewhere on the display 18. This may reduce agraphics computing requirement on the content processing component 16.

Based on the processed sensor data, the processor 14 is configured toidentify a trigger for entering the second content processing state ofthe content processing component 16. In the second content processingstate of the content processing component 16, the foveated processingused in the first content processing state is overridden such thatrelatively low-quality video content is generated for display in atleast a portion of the determined region. In this manner, relativelylow-quality video content can be generated for display in at least aportion of a region of the display 18 determined to correspond to thefoveal region of an eye of a user where it is determined that relativelyhigh-quality video content is not needed. In some examples, operationmay revert to the first content processing state from the second contentprocessing state in response to a further trigger.

In some examples of the device 10, relatively low-quality video contentis generated for display outside the determined region when operating inthe second content processing state. This may reduce a graphicscomputing requirement on the content processing component, for examplecompared to a display utilizing solely high-quality video content.

In some examples of the device 10, relatively low-quality video isgenerated for display on substantially the entirety of the display 18when operating in the second content processing state. This may reduce agraphics computing requirement on the content processing component 16.

In some examples of the device 10, no content is generated for displayon the display 18 when operating in the second content processing state.This may reduce a graphics computing requirement on the contentprocessing component 16.

In some examples of the device 10, relatively high-quality video contentis generated for display in a further portion of the determined region.This may enable relatively high-quality video content to be generatedfor display where needed in the determined region whilst reducing agraphics computing requirement on the content processing component 16 bygenerating low-quality video content for display where not needed in thedetermined region.

Examples of the steps taken in controlling the device 10 are shownschematically by a method 300 in FIG. 3.

The method 300 comprises operating 302 the content processing component16 in a first content processing state, sensing 304 data indicative ofat least one eye positional characteristic of a user of the device 10using the sensor 12, and outputting sensed data to the processor 14.Sensed data is processed 306 and a region of the display 18corresponding to a foveal region of an eye of the user is determined308. The method 300 comprises performing foveated processing 310 ofcontent to be displayed on the display 18, such that a relativelyhigh-quality video content is generated for display in the determinedregion and relatively low-quality video content is generated for displayoutside the determined region. A trigger is identified 312, and thecontent processing component 16 enters 314 a second content processingstate. In the second operating state, the foveated processing used inthe first content processing state is overridden such that relativelylow-quality video content is generated for display in at least a portionof the determined region

In an example of the device 10, the trigger for entering the secondprocessing state may be a speed threshold for speed of motion of an eyeof a user. The sensor 12 is operable to output sensor data indicative ofat least one eye positional characteristic of a user of the device 10,and the processor 14 is configured to process the sensor data. Thesensor 12 may detect positional and time-based data relating to the eyeof the user, and the processor 14 may be configured to process thepositional and time-based data to determine a speed of motion of theeye. Where the detected speed of motion of the eye differs from apre-determined threshold, for example is greater than the pre-determinedthreshold, the content processing component 16 operates in the secondcontent processing state.

The operation of this example of the device 10 can be seen schematicallyfrom the method 400 of FIG. 4.

The method 400 comprises operating 402 the content processing component16 in a first content processing state, sensing 404 data indicative ofat least one eye positional characteristic of a user of the device 10using the sensor 12, and outputting 406 sensed data to the processor 14.Sensed data is processed 408 to determine a speed of motion of an eye ofthe user, and the detected speed of motion is compared 410 to apre-determined threshold. Where the speed of motion is greater than thepre-determined threshold, the second content processing state is entered412.

This example of the device 10 may generate relatively low-quality videocontent to be displayed in at least a portion of the region of thedisplay 18 determined to correspond to the foveal region of the userwhen the speed of motion of an eye is determined to be above apre-determined threshold. This may reduce a graphics computingrequirement on the content processing component 16, for example where itis determined that the speed of motion of the eye is great enough thatno useful visual information can be taken in.

In the second content processing state, for example where a speed ofmotion of an eye of a user is above a pre-determined threshold,relatively low-quality video content may be generated for display onsubstantially the entirety of the display 18. In the second contentprocessing state, for example where a speed of motion of an eye of auser is above a pre-determined threshold, no content may be generatedfor display on the display 18. Thus the display 18 may be updated at alower rate, or even not updated, where a speed of motion of an eye of auser is above a pre-determined threshold, thereby reducing a graphicscomputing requirement on the content processing component 16.

The pre-determined threshold may depend on the application, but may, forexample, be around 150 degree/s.

An example of a scenario where the speed of motion of an eye issufficiently large such that no visual information can be taken in isduring saccadic motion of an eye of a user. In some examples of thedevice 10, the processor 14 processes data output by the sensor 12 todetermine saccadic motion of an eye of a user of the device 10. Thedetection of saccadic motion may act as the trigger to enter the secondcontent processing state. Thus, where saccadic motion occurs, thecontent processing component 16 may operate such that relativelylow-quality video content is generated for display in at least a portionof a region of the display 18 determined to correspond to a fovealregion of an eye of the user, as it may be the case that the eye cannottake in any visual information during saccadic motion. This may reduce agraphics computing requirement on the content processing component 16where saccadic motion is detected.

In the second content processing state, for example where saccadicmotion is detected, relatively low-quality video content may begenerated for display on substantially the entirety of the display 18.This may reduce a graphics computing requirement on the contentprocessing component 16 where saccadic motion is detected. In the secondcontent processing state, for example where saccadic motion is detected,no content may be generated for display on the display 18. This mayreduce a graphics computing requirement on the content processingcomponent 16 where saccadic motion is detected. Thus the display 18 maybe updated at a lower rate, or even not updated, where saccadic motionis detected.

The operation of an example of the device 10 where saccadic motion actsas the trigger can be seen schematically from the method 500 of FIG. 5.

The method 500 comprises operating 502 the content processing component16 in a first content processing state, sensing 504 data indicative ofat least one eye positional characteristic of a user of the device 10using the sensor 12, and outputting 506 sensed data to the processor 14.Sensed data is processed 508 to determine 510 saccadic motion, and wheresaccadic motion is detected, the second content processing state isentered 512.

In another example of the device 10, the trigger for entering the secondprocessing state may be a determination of simultaneous movement of twoeyes of a user in opposing directions. The sensor 12 is operable tooutput sensor data indicative of at least one eye positionalcharacteristic of a user of the device 10, and the processor 14 isconfigured to process the sensor data. The sensor 12 may detectpositional information relating to the eyes of the user, and theprocessor 14 may be configured to process the positional data todetermine relative motion of the eyes. Where simultaneous movement oftwo eyes of a user in opposing directions is detected, the contentprocessing component 16 operates in the second content processing state.

The operation of this example of the device 10 can be seen schematicallyfrom the method 600 of FIG. 6.

The method 600 comprises operating 602 the content processing component16 in a first content processing state, sensing 604 data indicative ofat least one eye positional characteristic of a user of the device 10using the sensor 12, and outputting 606 sensed data to the processor 14.Sensed data is processed 608 to determine motion of the eyes of theuser. Where the eyes of a user are determined 610 to simultaneously movein opposing directions, the second content processing state is entered612.

This example of the device 10 may provide a relatively low-quality videocontent in at least a portion of the region of the display 18 determinedto correspond to the foveal region of the user when the eyes of a userare determined to simultaneously move in opposing direction. This mayreduce a graphics computing requirement on the content processingcomponent 16, for example where it is determined that the motion of theeyes is such that no useful visual information can be taken in.

In the second content processing state, for example where the eyes of auser are determined to simultaneously move in opposing directions,relatively low-quality video content may be generated for display onsubstantially the entirety of the display 18. In the second contentprocessing state, for example where the eyes of a user are determined tosimultaneously move in opposing directions, no content may be generatedfor display on the display 18. Thus the display 18 may be updated at alower rate, or even not updated, where the eyes of a user are determinedto simultaneously move in opposing directions.

An example of a scenario where the eyes of a user simultaneously move inopposing directions is during vergence movements of eyes of a user, forexample to allow a user with binocular vision to focus on an objectbased on object depth.

In some examples of the device 10, the processor 14 processes dataoutput by the sensor 12 to determine vergence movements of eyes of auser of the device 10. The detection of vergence movements may act asthe trigger to enter the second content processing state. Thus, wherevergence movements occur, the content processing component 16 mayoperate such that relatively low-quality video content is generated fordisplay in at least a portion of a region of the display 18 determinedto correspond to a foveal region of an eye of the user, as it may be thecase that the eye cannot take in any visual information during vergencemovements. This may reduce a graphics computing requirement on thecontent processing component 16 where vergence movements are detected.

In the second content processing state, for example where vergencemovements are detected, relatively low-quality video content may begenerated for display on substantially the entirety of the display 18.This may reduce a graphics computing requirement on the contentprocessing component 16 where vergence movements are detected. In thesecond content processing state, for example where vergence movementsare detected, no content may generated for display on the display 18.This may reduce a graphics computing requirement on the contentprocessing component 16 where vergence movements are detected. Thus thedisplay 18 may be updated at a lower rate, or even not updated, wherevergence movements are detected.

The operation of an example of the device 10 where vergence movementsact as the trigger can be seen schematically from the method 700 of FIG.7.

The method 700 comprises operating 702 the content processing component16 in a first content processing state, sensing 704 data indicative ofat least one eye positional characteristic of two eyes of a user of thedevice 10 using the sensor 12, and outputting 706 sensed data to theprocessor 14. Sensed data is processed 708 to determine 710 vergencemovements, and where vergence movements are detected, the second contentprocessing state is entered 712.

In an example of the device 10, the trigger for entering the secondprocessing state may be a determination that an object displayed on thedisplay 18 is a not a subject of focus of the user. The sensor 12 isoperable to output sensor data indicative of at least one eye positionalcharacteristic of a user of the device 10, and the processor 14 isconfigured to process the sensor data. The sensor 12 may detectpositional information relating to the eyes of the user, and theprocessor 14 may be configured to process the positional information todetermine whether or not an object displayed on the display 18 is thesubject of focus of a user. For example, an object displayed on thedisplay 18 will have a depth that correlates with a depth in theenvironment of a user of the device. The sensor 12 may determine a depththat a user is focussed on through analyzing a user's vergencemovements. Where the user's focus and the depth of the object displayedon the display 18 is significantly different, it can be determined thatthe object is not a subject of focus of a user. Where an object isdetermined not to be a subject of focus of a user, the contentprocessing component 16 operates in the second content processing state.Where an object is determined to be a subject of focus of a user, thecontent processing component 16 operates in the first content processingstate.

The operation of this example of the device 10 can be seen schematicallyfrom the method 800 of FIG. 8.

The method 800 comprises operating 802 the content processing component16 in a first content processing state, sensing 804 data indicative ofat least one eye positional characteristic of a user of the device 10using the sensor 12, and outputting 806 sensed data to the processor 14.Sensed data is processed 808 to determine whether or not an objectdisplayed on the display is the subject of focus of a user. Where anobject displayed on the display is determined 810 not to be a subject offocus of the user, the second content processing state is entered 812.

This example of the device 10 may generate a relatively low-qualityvideo content to be displayed in at least a portion of the region of thedisplay 18 determined to correspond to the foveal region of the userwhen an object displayed on the display 18 is not determined to be thesubject of focus of a user. This may reduce a graphics computingrequirement on the content processing component 16. For example, inhuman vision, the eyes often scan around the outline of an object. If auser is looking at an edge of an object, then it is often the case thatbackground objects which are not in focus are within the foveal regionsof the eyes of the user. In such circumstances, the background objectsmay not need to be displayed with a high-quality video content as theyare not the subject of focus. Thus the second content processing statemay be entered when an object is not determined to be a subject offocus, and lower-quality video content may be generated for display inthe region of the display 18 other than that corresponding to theobject.

In some examples, vergence movements may be used to determine whether ornot an object displayed on the display 18 is a subject of focus of theuser. For example, vergence movements may indicate that a user isfocusing on an object displayed on the display 18, with the object beingdetermined to be in focus once vergence movements have stopped and theeyes of a user have been at a substantially fixed location for apre-determined time period.

In some examples, the device 10 may comprise a timer, processing thesensor data may comprise determining a time indicative of how long aneye of the user has been at a fixed location, the determined time may becompared to a pre-determined threshold, where the determined time isabove a pre-determined threshold the relatively high-quality videocontent may be generated for display in a region in which the objectdetermined to be a subject of focus is displayed, and where thedetermined time is below the pre-determined threshold relativelylow-quality video content may be generated for display on substantiallythe entirety of the display. This may allow for the case, for example,where vergence movements of the eyes of a user have taken place, butwhere accommodation of the eyes of a user is still taking place. Thusrelatively low-quality video content may be generated for display on thedisplay 18 where accommodation is taking place. The content processingcomponent 16 may switch to generating relatively high-quality videocontent for displaying an object in where the allocated time exceeds thepre-determined threshold, allowing the device 10 to operate as per theprevious discussion where an object is determined to be a subject offocus of a user.

An example method 900 of operating a device 10 to account foraccommodation of the eyes of a user is shown in FIG. 9.

The method 900 comprises operating 902 the content processing component16 in a first content processing state, sensing 904 data indicative ofat least one eye positional characteristic of two eyes of a user of thedevice 10 using the sensor 12, and outputting 906 sensed data to theprocessor 14. Sensed data is processed 908 to determine 910 vergencemovements, and where vergence movements are detected, the second contentprocessing state is entered 912. Sensed data is processed 914 todetermine 916 when vergence movements have stopped and the eyes of auser are at a fixed location/focusing on an object. A time is determinedfor how long the eyes of a user have been at the fixed location, and acomparison 918 of the determined time to a threshold is made. Where thetime is determined to be below the threshold, the second contentprocessing state only generates 920 relatively low-quality video contentto be displayed on the display. Where the time is determined to be abovethe threshold, relatively high-quality video content is generated 922 tobe displayed in a region in which the object determined to be a subjectof focus is displayed using the first content processing state.

In some examples, the content processing component 16 operates in thesecond content processing state when the sensor data indicates that aneye of the user is looking at the display 18. Thus low-quality videocontent may be generated for display in at least a portion of thedisplay 18 even where a user is looking at the display 18.

In some examples, the processor 14 may be configured to perform acalibration step for a user of the device 10. For example, the processor14 may cause images to be displayed on the display 18 with variousqualities of video content, and the processor 14 may request a responsefrom the user, for example via the display 18 or another user inputdevice, as to whether or not the images on the display are clear duringdifferent scenarios. This may allow the device 10 to be tuned to takeinto account eye positional characteristics of different users indifferent scenarios. For example, saccadic motion may have differentdurations for different users, and hence tuning of the threshold atwhich saccadic motion is determined may ensure that user experience isnot impacted by the reduced processing of the second content processingstate. The processor may be configured to modify the trigger based onuser feedback, for example feedback in response to a calibrationroutine.

It is to be understood that any feature described in relation to any oneexample may be used alone, or in combination with other featuresdescribed, and may also be used in combination with one or more featuresof any other of the examples, or any combination of any other of theexamples. Furthermore, equivalents and modifications not described abovemay also be employed without departing from the scope of theaccompanying claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device comprising: a content processingcomponent operable in first and second content processing states; adisplay for displaying an image based on an output of the contentprocessing component; at least one sensor operable to output sensor dataindicative of at least one eye positional characteristic of a user ofthe device, the at least one eye positional characteristic beingindicative of a region of the display determined to correspond to afoveal region of an eye of the user; and a processor configured to:process the sensor data; in the first content processing state of thecontent processing component: determine, on the basis of the processedsensor data, a region of the display corresponding to the foveal region;perform foveated processing of content to be displayed on the display,such that a first quality video content is generated and displayed inthe determined region and a second quality video content is generatedand displayed outside the determined region, the second quality videocontent lower than the first quality video content; and identify, on thebasis of the processed sensor data, a trigger for entering the secondcontent processing state of the content processing component, whereinthe trigger comprises a determination of simultaneous movement of twoeyes of a user in opposing directions; and in the second contentprocessing state of the content processing component, over-ride thefoveated processing used in the first content processing state such thata third quality video content is generated and displayed in at least aportion of the determined region, the third quality video content lowerthan the first quality video content, and such that a fourth qualityvideo content is generated and displayed in a further portion of thedetermined region, the fourth quality video content higher than thethird quality video content.
 2. A device as claimed in claim 1, whereinin the second content processing state the second quality video contentis generated for display on substantially the entirety of the display.3. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein in the second contentprocessing state no content is generated for display on the display. 4.A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one eye positionalcharacteristic comprises one or more of a rotational position of an eye,a direction of a foveal region of the user relative to the display, anda direction of a pupil of the user relative to the display.
 5. A deviceas claimed in claim 1, wherein the content processing component operatesin the second content processing state when the sensor data indicatesthat an eye of the user is looking at the display.
 6. A device asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor data is processed to determine aspeed of motion of an eye of the user, and the trigger comprises adetermination that the speed of motion is above a pre-determinedthreshold.
 7. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor data isprocessed to determine a speed of motion of an eye of the user, andwhere the speed of motion is below a pre-determined threshold, thecontent processing component operates in the first content processingstate.
 8. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor data isprocessed to determine saccadic motion of an eye of the user, and wheresaccadic motion is determined, the content processing component operatesin the second content processing state.
 9. A device as claimed in claim1, wherein the sensor data is processed to determine vergence of twoeyes of a user, and where vergence motion is determined, the contentprocessing component operates in the second content processing state.10. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor data is processedto determine if an object displayed on the display is a subject of focusof the user, and the trigger comprises a determination that the objectis not a subject of focus.
 11. A device as claimed in claim 10, whereinin the second content processing state fifth quality video content isdisplayed in a region in which a further object determined to be asubject of focus is displayed, the fifth quality video content higherthan the third quality video content.
 12. A device as claimed in claim11, wherein the device comprises a timer, processing the sensor datacomprises determining a time indicative of how long an eye of the userhas been at a fixed location, comparing the determined time to apre-determined threshold, where the determined time is above apre-determined threshold the fifth high-quality video content isgenerated for display in a region in which the object determined to be asubject of focus is displayed, and where the determined time is belowthe pre-determined threshold the second quality video content isgenerated for display on substantially the entirety of the display. 13.A device is claimed in claim 1, wherein a foveal region of an eye of theuser is determined to be a region corresponding to 5 or less of a visualfield of the user.
 14. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the atleast one sensor is one of an eye-tracking sensor, anelectroencephalography sensor, an electromyography sensor, or anelectrooculography sensor.
 15. A device as claimed in claim 1, whereinthe device comprises or is comprised in a headset.
 16. A device asclaimed in claim 15, wherein the headset comprises a virtual realityand/or an augmented reality headset.